Baptism By Fire

Sometimes life, like the ocean, can come crashing in with the strong undertow literally pulling the legs out from under us.

When this happens we have two options. We can scream, “This is not fair”, negatively affecting all aspects of our life. Or we can embrace this hardship (fair or unfair) learning from it as we develop personally and spiritually.

Adversity works as a giant stepping-stone in our spiritual growth.

You’ve heard the phrase “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Most likely overcoming difficulties won’t kill you, but undoubtedly it will wield its longs arms around you with far reaching effects. Positively or Negatively.

This adversity can act as a personal transformation if we let it. (But during these difficult times are never seen as such a positive influence.)

We call this “baptism by fire”. Baptism by fire serves a purification process. This is God refining his gems, us!

I like to think of it similar to the petroleum refining process. Refineries take crude oil and through multiple steps it becomes useful products such as gasoline, etc.

God works with each of us in the same manner. Through hardship God invites us to become a “new person”, maybe someone more compassionate, more hopeful, more faith-filled. More like God himself, reflecting like a mirror, our Divine nature.

But becoming this new person, this better version of ourselves is not easy.

Here’s what Kim Wuirch wrote: “When recovering from difficult things such as heartbreaks or traumatic experience, stop trying to find your old self. The old you does not exist any more, look for the new and improved version of you. The old you led you to turmoil & had to die off, this is evolution.”

So let’s remember: “Every calamity is a spur and a valuable hint,” (Ralph Waldo Emerson) acting as gateways and new beginnings.